Moms That Blog (The Interviews)

Introducing.....Marcia - She's a full time working mother of twins, who still takes the time to blog and support other moms that blog....and that's what her a great Mom That Blogs.

Tell us a bit about yourself......I work in financial services full-time and after hours I'm a time management coach and speaker when I'm not being a wife to D and a mother to my babies. I'm very proudly South African and have been married to D for 17 years. After trying to get pregnant for 4 years, we finally hit the jackpot after our second IVF with ICSI attempt with twins. Those boy/ girl twins, Connor and Kendra, were born at 32 weeks and are now 2 years 8 months. Sometimes when I look at them, I still can't believe they're mine and that they're real when they were a dream for so very long. I'm passionate about people living their lives intentionally.

Name 3 fun facts we may be surprised to learn about you.....

I can sing the entire soundtrack of The Commitments. Not well, but I do know the words.

The thing that makes me feel most alive is speaking to large groups of people.

I aim to live a simple life but stationery is my downfall. Show me some pretty notecards or labels and I go weak at the knees.

When did you first start blogging....I first started blogging on The 123 blog in 2006, really as a way to have an anonymous outlet so that I could talk about the infertility. I have another two blogs I also started in 2006 (they're also still active) which were the main two places I blogged at. I started blogging more regularly on The 123 blog when we made the decision to see a fertility specialist and later, to pursue IVF. There was a whole group of women who were all infertile, going through treatment and then pregnant in varying stages, so we could all offer each other support. 

What is your blog about.......It's about me navigating this life, trying to make every second count impacting and inspiring as many people as I can, all while staying true to my beliefs and values. My tagline says "parenting twins after IVF and living life large" 

Why do you blog......Initially I blogged to connect with other infertile women, and then pregnant women and then new mothers. These days I blog for therapy, connection and to clear my mind before bed every day :)  I love having a record of my kids' milestones, the things they say, all my little projects but also how I'm feeling at a particular point in time.

Must read blogs that you visit daily.....It's difficult to answer this because there are blogs I read first in my reader but they don't post daily, and then there are some that post too much and half the stuff I skip over because I know I SOOOO enjoy the 3 posts per week :)

However, let me share a couple of my favourites. When I see these ones pop up in my Google Reader, I go make a cup of tea and settle in to read.

My fascinating life - I so wish Claudia lived near me so we could be real friends. She is also a Christian, is Australian living in the UK and adopted the most gorgeous two babies from Ethiopia. Oh, and she writes beautifully.

MWF Seeking BFF - I'm on a current friendship kick (please see my Friendship Friday posts) totally inspired by this blog and her book. I love this blog because she writes about everything you're thinking but no-one ever talks about. Kind-of like Seinfeld LOL

Jon Acuff's blog http://www.jonacuff.com/blog/ - he's a Christian and he talks about going after your dreams and how to do it responsibly without just giving up your job. He has such a cool way of looking at the world. I'll read a post and keep thinking about it for days afterward.

Katelyn James http://katelynjamesblog.com She is a wedding photographer and I love her work. She's also a Christian and I love reading her stuff when she talks about ministry. So inspiring. Also, go look at her office.

I love it all - http://iloveitallwithmonikawright.blogspot.com- I love Monika's blog. It is creative, inspiring, simple, authentic and just so pretty. I was inspired by her to make mini books and use baker's twine.

What inspires you.....Seeing people going after their dreams. God working in and through people.
Grey skies. Rain.

Do you have a bucket list - name a few things on it.....Of course I do. I am the poster child for goals :) Some of the first things on my list (years ago) were to have children and to write a book. I have the kids and my book is 90% done. I have tons of travel to still do. One of those, to visit New York City, will happen in July this year. Other places I'd love to visit again are Thailand and Singapore.

Do you have any blogging advice that you would like to share..... Write in your own style and be authentic. Don't try to be like other bloggers. The world wants all of YOUR awesomeness :)

 

To learn more about Marcia....Check out her blog The 1,2,3 blog